Belem, Brazil

Belém, located some 90 miles from the open sea and slightly south of the equator, is the great port of the Amazon. Visitors can enjoy an atmosphere at once welcoming and fun-loving, with an intriguing and exotic ambiance as well as a surprisingly modern skyline. The city offers cultural events in the splendid Teatro da Paz and the excellent Goeldi Museum and Zoological Gardens, which are well worth a visit. There are good restaurants to try some local cuisine, and shops and markets offer a wide variety of Amazonian arts and crafts.